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FRANCISCO Bustamante hopes he and Efren Reyes can claim the World Cup of Pool title for a third time.

The PartyPoker.net World Cup of Pool begins on Tuesday at Robinson’s Place in Ermita, Manila, Philippines, with Bustamante and Reyes aiming to win the competition in front of their home fans for the second year running.

“It was huge for us to win in the Philippines last year as it was held here and it brought a lot of pride to the Philippine nation,” said Bustamante, who, with Reyes, also won the inaugural tournament in 2006.

“We’re practising every day, especially since winning last year and we were delighted to win the title – it’s a big deal for us.

“Now I’m trying to correct my break because of the problems I had with it last year.”

The main matches will be broadcast live in the Philippines on Solar TV and the Philippines A duo of Bustamante and Reyes will be in action on Tuesday night when they meet Thailand.

“I’m confident and relaxed as I’m used to playing in this tournament now and I’m relying on my partner who is now a world champion,” added Reyes.

Ralf Souquet was part of the German side that lost in the 2009 final and The Kaiser admitted it would be difficult to wrestle the trophy away from the hosts.

“There are some great teams and of course our goal is to win it this year – we don’t want to be runners-up again,” said Souquet.

“But there are two great Philippines teams as well as strong teams from USA, China and England, who have won so much this year.

“The World Cup of Pool is a great opportunity to play in front of big crowds and it’s a little more noisy than other tournaments.”

The Philippines B side consists of Roberto Gomez and Dennis Orcollo, a winner at one of the toughest competitions of 2010 when he claimed the World Pool Masters trophy in Las Vegas in May.

“It’s an honour to be representing the Philippines and we’re going to be doing everything we can,” said Orcollo.

“It’s going to be a tough tournament because of the talent that is here but all we can do is our best. I’ve told my partner we just need to practise and stay focused.”

Ralph Roy, vice president of business operations for Solar TV, said: “This is a great event, a big event for us and the Philippines and we’re proud to be hosting it.

“All of the best players in the world will be here and we’re glad they will be showing off their talents here.

“We’ll be showing the best matches and I invite all Filipinos to come and watch the matches.”

Luke Riches, Media Manager of Matchroom Sport, added: “We all love coming to this country. The people are all so enthusiastic, there are some great players and we have a great presence in the media.

“Last year was one of the greatest pool finals ever seen where the Philippines won 11-9 in front of a massive crowd. We look forward to seeing thousands of people watch this year’s fantastic event.”

For full match reports and reaction, go to the official website www.matchroompool.com and click on the World Cup of Pool tab at the top of the page.

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Russia is First Team Through

India Blow Great Chance

Russia 8–4 Canada

Indonesia 8-7 India

PLAY got underway at the fifth annual PartyPoker.net World Cup of Pool at Robinsons Place Mall in Ermita, Manila as 64 of the best players on the planet gathered to do battle for the $250,000 prize fund.

All first round matches are race to eight, winners break and the Russian pair of Ruslan Chinakhov and Konstantin Stepanov, making their fourth appearance together in this event, recorded an outstanding come-from-behind win to eliminate Canada from the competition.

The Canadians – Jason Klatt and John Morra – had looked solid in the early stages as they raced into a 4-0 lead. A mistake from Klatt though, as he missed a banked five ball onto the centre pocket, allowed the Russians to take their first rack of the match and the comeback was on.

They took the next two to get to 3-4 before Klatt suffered the misfortune of having a foul called on him by referee Nigel Rees when his shirt touched a ball whilst cueing. Russia didn’t hesitate and squared the match at 4-4.

It was the turning point in the game, as Canada failed to stem the Russian tide as Stepanov and Chinakhov won the next four racks to ease themselves into the last 16.

‘We were so nervous at the beginning and they played well. But we were just waiting for a mistake, they made one and we took two racks,’ said Stepanov after the match.

“We gave them the play again but they didn’t take it and made a stupid foul (when Klatt’s shirt touched a ball) and that was the main moment of the match.

‘We could play Germany and that will be a really tough match if they beat Hong Kong. The German team is really special and Ralf is a brilliant team player. But their relationship is not perfect and I don’t know how comfortable they feel so we will see what happens,’ he added.

India will rue the missed opportunities as they blew leads of 5-0 and 6-2 in the second match of the first session, to get dumped out of the competition 7-8 at the hands of Indonesia.

The Indonesian pair of Muhammad Zulfikri and Ricky Yang looked out of sorts in the early stages as Raj Hundal and Dharminder Singh Lilly got the better of the exchanges as their confidence grew.

At 5-0 to the good, the Indians looked in full control of proceedings but Indonesia took the next two before wasting chances in the ninth game and India moved into a great 6-2 lead.

Mistakes came from both sides but the Indonesian’s who looked dead and buried earlier appear to be in the ascendancy as they steal four racks on the spin to level the match at 6-6 and leave their opponents reeling.

A scratch from Zulfikri gave India the chance they were looking for and they moved to the hill and broke for the match. A poor safety from Lilly though left the ball on for Indonesia and that enabled them to level the match at 7-7.

India still had a chance but Hundal ran out of position going from 7 to 8 and Lilly’s bank shot fails and leaves the 8 ball hanging over the pocket to hand victory to Yang and Zulfikri.

With 32 teams representing 31 countries – home nation Philippines has two sides in the competition – the World Cup of Pool sees the gathering of some of the most decorated stars of the pool firmament.

With a total purse of $250,000, the winning pair split $60,000 between them while first round losers are guaranteed $1,500 each. All the action will be carried live on Solar Sports in

The Philippines and other broadcasters across the region.

—————————-

Chinese Duo Power Through

Italy Beat Koreans Girls in Thriller

China 8–2 Belgium

Italy 8-6 Korea

CHINA, winners of the PartyPoker.net World Cup of Pool back in 2007, made light work of Belgium as they booked their second round spot with a comfortable 8-2 win.

The pairing of Fu Jianbo and Li Hewen cut contrasting figures at the table but their doubles play is second to none and they look in shape to have another go at winning pool’s most coveted team title.

There are six first round matches per day and all matches are played in a single table arena with 400 seats and literally thousands more looking from the expansive balconies at Robinson Place.

The Belgian pair of Noel Bruynooghe and Serge Das has had their share of glory moments in the World Cup and they won a qualifying event in Europe to book their spot in Manila. However, they never had a chance to settle as the Chinese twosome ran away with the match.

They now face Italy in the second round and will be a tough prospect for anyone.

With 32 teams representing 31 countries – home nation Philippines has two sides in the competition – the World Cup of Pool sees the gathering of some of the most decorated stars of the pool firmament. The event is taking place at Robinsons Place, in Ermita, Manila.

With a total purse of $250,000, the winning pair split $60,000 between them while first round losers are guaranteed $1,500 each. All the action will be carried live on Solar Sports in The Philippines and other broadcasters across the region.

The second match of the second session was a thriller as Italy’s Fabio Petroni and Bruno Muratore edged out the girl power duo of Yu Ram Cha and Ga Young Kim by 8-6, in front of over 1,000 people.

“The crowd here in the Philippines is the best in the world – it’s like a soccer crowd in Italy or Brazil. Here everyone knows me as a player but in Italy only my mother and father recognise me!

“It was very difficult for us and I knew they were strong. We know pool and knew we would have to be lucky and play very good. For me the women are very tough, just like the men. Jasmin Ouschan plays better than me.

“I’m very happy we won and we played good. We’ve played pool for 15 years so we know the game and if we play well and get lucky then we can beat Efren and Francisco who are the best in the world.”

There were mistakes as well as quality play from both sides and at 6-6, the match was anyone’s. Both teams made mistakes in the 13th rack but it was Muratore who saved the day for Italy as he bagged a tricky 9 ball to get them to the hill.

Petroni, though, made a dry break in the next but the Koreans came unstuck on the 2 ball as Italy wrapped it up for the win.

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10th September

Super Germans on Cruise Control

France Scrape Through Against Woeful England

Germany 8 -1 Russia

France 8-6 England

TEAM GERMANY (Ralf Souquet and Oliver Ortmann) played a near perfect game to crush their Russian opponents and advance to the quarter-finals of the PartyPoker.net World Cup of Pool on Friday afternoon.

8-1 was the scoreline and the crowd at Robinsons Place, Manila were left in no doubt that Germany represent a major threat to win this tournament. It was perfect, clinical pool from the two World Champions and the Russian pair of Konstantin Stepanov and Ruslan Chinakhov had no answers.

In fact the Russians were staring at a shut-out defeat before they took the eighth rack to make their sole contribution to the scoreboard. Along with Taiwan, Germany look the team of the tournament to date and they will face a lack-lustre France who fell over the line against an awful England.

“It was almost perfect; I screwed up one position followed by Oliver missing a ball but they miscued so it came back straight to us,” said Souquet.

“I’m more satisfied than the first match but there’s still room for improvement and I still haven’t had my best game. I think we’re working very well as everybody could see so nothing to complain about.

“Even though the Philippines A lost it’s not getting any easier at all as there are still China, England and Indonesia, who beat Philippines A. I would’ve liked Philippines A to still be in as the crowd would’ve been more crazy and it was a chance for revenge for last year.

“But we don’t care who we meet in the next round. Every opponent will be tough and whoever makes it to the quarter-finals is a good team.”

Ortmann added, “As long as we play this way we will beat anybody. In the Hong Kong match we were up 2-0 then trailing 2-4 but our confidence was pretty high and we never felt bad.

“For the match against Russia I expected to be more pressure from Russia but we played pretty good from the beginning so they didn’t have a chance to come into the game.

The second match of the day was described by commentator Ted Lerner as ‘a tawdry affair, a sordid mess,’ and there wouldn’t be many people watching who would disagree with him.

France 8-6 England was the scoreline but it was a match that lasted for over two hours as neither side played with any sort of fluency. For Karl Boyes and Daryl Peach, it was a day to forget and possibly a low spot in their respective careers.

The recount the nuts and bolts of the match would be superfluous but the match was a litany of missed pots, unforced errors and sloppy positional play.

Both teams had plenty of chances but none were really taken and France can now look forward to meeting Germany in the quarter-finals. The contrast in their respective performances was so great that only a madman would bet against Germany.

With 32 teams representing 31 countries – home nation Philippines has two sides in the competition – the World Cup of Pool sees the gathering of some of the most decorated stars of the pool firmament. The event is taking place at Robinsons Place, in Ermita, Manila.

With a total purse of $250,000, the winning pair split $60,000 between them while first round losers are guaranteed $1,500 each. All the action will be carried live on Solar Sports in

The Philippines and other broadcasters across the region.

Second Round Scores

Taiwan 8-2 Japan

Indonesia 8-6 Philippines A

Germany 8 -1 Russia

France 8-6 England

First Round Scores

Russia 8–4 Canada

Indonesia 8-7 India

China 8–2 Belgium

Italy 8-6 Korea

Germany 8–4 Hong Kong

Philippines A 8-3 Thailand

England 8–7 Qatar

France 8-5 Australia

Japan 8–7 Slovenia

Poland 8-6 Malta

Taiwan 8–2 Malaysia

Philippines B 8-4 Croatia

Holland 8–3 Austria

Finland 8-2 Singapore

USA 8-7 Sweden

Spain 8-5 Vietnam

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10th September

Finland Thump the Dutch

Ominous Chinese into Last Eight

China 8-5 Italy

Finland 8-1 Holland

CHINA AND FINLAND, who contested that epic 2007 PartyPoker.net World Cup of Pool final in Rotterdam, are both through the quarter-finals of this year’s competition in Manila following a couple of great performances on Friday afternoon at Robinsons Place Mall.

Represented by Fu Jianbo and Li Hewen, the Chinese overcame Italy’s Fabio Petroni and Bruno Muratore by 8-5. The crowd were itching to see some quality pool after the miserable France v England game earlier and they weren’t disappointed.

China was always in the ascendancy as they lead throughout with Fu’s outstanding shot-making supported by Li’s solid dependable style. Italy got the score to 3-2 but China reeled off the next three to take a 6-2 lead.

Italy though is always an entertaining side to watch and they dug in to take the next two racks and stay in the match. China though had too much and they clinched the necessary two games to set up a quarter-final clash against Indonesia, a match they must fancy.

Finland was up against Holland in what may have been a 50/50 encounter on paper. However, pool is played on a table and the duo of Mika Immonen and Markus Juva tore the heart out of the Dutch.

Winning the lag, Finland broke and ran the first three games to put the Dutch on their back feet and they never recovered. Holland, Niels Feijen and Huidji See, got to the table in the fourth game but could make no impact.

The Finns were looking ice cool with Immonen justifying his billing as the No.1 player in the world. They carried on winning the racks with the sole Dutch contribution coming in the eighth rack. Finland will now face Philippines B or Spain in tomorrow’s quarter-finals.

“In our World Cup history that is one of our best ever performances and it feels especially sweet with it coming against a Dutch team who are well respected,” said a delighted Immonen.

“We were a bit lucky in the first rack but we never looked back after that. They got one rack on the scoreboard but we were tuned in and had a good time.

“My mentality was to go out and to not show too much respect. We go out to crush the teams but at the same time we respect them. We both stepped up and played some good shots.

“We’re doing something right so we just have to do what we’re doing. At 6-0 we just wanted to close them out 8-0 and we didn’t want to get a false sense of security.

“The opponents are getting tougher and tougher but we’re happy to get rid of that run where we played great in the first round and then lost. “With the England and Philippines A out it does raise our hopes even more and it’s always easier without them in the way,” he added.

With 32 teams representing 31 countries – home nation Philippines has two sides in the competition – the World Cup of Pool sees the gathering of some of the most decorated stars of the pool firmament. The event is taking place at Robinsons Place, in Ermita, Manila.

With a total purse of $250,000, the winning pair split $60,000 between them while first round losers are guaranteed $1,500 each. All the action will be carried live on Solar Sports in

The Philippines and other broadcasters across the region.

Second Round Scores

Taiwan 8-2 Japan

Indonesia 8-6 Philippines A

Germany 8 -1 Russia

France 8-6 England

China 8-5 Italy

Finland 8-1 Holland

First Round Scores

Russia 8–4 Canada

Indonesia 8-7 India

China 8–2 Belgium

Italy 8-6 Korea

Germany 8–4 Hong Kong

Philippines A 8-3 Thailand

England 8–7 Qatar

France 8-5 Australia

Japan 8–7 Slovenia

Poland 8-6 Malta

Taiwan 8–2 Malaysia

Philippines B 8-4 Croatia

Holland 8–3 Austria

Finland 8-2 Singapore

USA 8-7 Sweden

Spain 8-5 Vietnam

—————————–

10th September

Philippines March On To Quarters

Super Poles Oust USA in Decider

Poland 8-7 USA

Philippines B 8-4 Spain

Team Philippines B, consisting of Dennis ‘Robocop’ Orcollo and Roberto ‘Superman’ Gomez can safely assume the mantle of the ‘A’ Team after despatching a dangerous Spanish team to advance to the last eight of the 2010 PartyPoker.net World Cup of Pool.

With all matches taking place in a 400 seat arena in Robinsons Place Mall in Manila, the place was packed with an estimated 2,000 spectators watching from all vantage points. With the defending champions – Reyes and Bustamante – having departed the competition yesterday at the hands of Indonesia, the nation’s hopes rested on Orcollo and Gomez and they didn’t disappoint.

The Spanish pair of David Alcaide and Francisco Sanchez Ruiz was reckoned to have half a chance of an upset and they took the early 2-1 lead. The Philippines, though, won the next six racks on the spin as the Spanish lads were forced to watch proceedings from their seats.

The last one is always the hardest as they say – witness Poland and the USA earlier in the evening – and Spain fought hard to stay in the match when they had their chance.

They won the 10th and 11th racks but in the end the task was too much and Gomez dropped the final 9 ball to send the massive crowd singing into the Manila night.

“I told Gomez to not be afraid as in this tournament you can get very nervous. It’s a battle of nerves out there and you have more than 2,000 people watching you and cheering for you but you get energy from them and that helps you win the match,” said Orcollo.

“Our celebrations were a way of keeping our nerves away. We are under pressure so we had to do something; we feel more pressure now because the crowds depend on us because of the other Filipino players already gone from the tournament,” Gomez added.

In the earlier match of the evening, there was a superb performance from underdogs Poland as the beat the heavyweights of the USA in a last frame decider. Radoslaw Babica and Mariusz Skoneczny were the heroes as they blew a 7-4 lead against a come backing USA but got the better of Rodney Morris and Johnny Archer in a magnificent final rack.

The Polish pair showed no nerves as they moved into an early 2-0 lead. Babica is a seasoned ten year veteran of world competition while his younger compatriot Skoneczny was a late called up to the side following Mariusz Sniegocki’s withdrawal due to a ban.

The USA though, got the score back to 3-3 before they shared the next two for a 4-4 scoreline. However, a combination of loose play from the Americans and some solid stuff from the Poles saw the score move to an unthinkable 7-4 for the Eastern Europeans.

Morris and Archer, with nothing to lose, started to pull the racks back and before long, it was hill-hill. The last rack was epic as both sides had chances to win and there were plenty of mistakes and misses but in the end Archer had to hit the ball hard to escape a safety and the remaining balls fell nicely for the Poles who held their nerve to win.

“That’s not our biggest win as last year we also played in the quarter-finals and on the way we beat Taiwan, who we play in the quarter-finals next” said an excited Babica.

“I’ve seen Taiwan’s matches and they’re really strong and I think they’re much better than they were last year because they have a very good break and are playing with no pressure.

“The beginning of the match was ok but when we got to the hill we were a bit nervous. We made two mistakes and at the end we got lucky as they missed the ball and we won the rack,” he added.

With 32 teams representing 31 countries – home nation Philippines has two sides in the competition – the World Cup of Pool sees the gathering of some of the most decorated stars of the pool firmament. The event is taking place at Robinsons Place, in Ermita, Manila.

With a total purse of $250,000, the winning pair split $60,000 between them while first round losers are guaranteed $1,500 each. All the action will be carried live on Solar Sports in

The Philippines and other broadcasters across the region.

Quarter Final Matches Saturday from 2.00pm

Indonesia v China

Germany v France

Philippines B v Finland

Taiwan v Poland

Second Round Scores

Taiwan 8-2 Japan

Indonesia 8-6 Philippines A

Germany 8 -1 Russia

France 8-6 England

China 8-5 Italy

Finland 8-1 Holland

Poland 8-7 USA

Philippines B 8-4 Spain

First Round Scores

Russia 8–4 Canada

Indonesia 8-7 India

China 8–2 Belgium

Italy 8-6 Korea

Germany 8–4 Hong Kong

Philippines A 8-3 Thailand

England 8–7 Qatar

France 8-5 Australia

Japan 8–7 Slovenia

Poland 8-6 Malta

Taiwan 8–2 Malaysia

Philippines B 8-4 Croatia

Holland 8–3 Austria

Finland 8-2 Singapore

USA 8-7 Sweden

Spain 8-5 Vietnam

—————————–

11th September

Germany Dump France in Dogfight

Magnificent Chinese on Track for Title No.2

China 9-3 Indonesia

Germany 9-7 France

GERMANY are still on course for their second consecutive PartyPoker.net World Cup of Pool final as they laboured to a 9-7 win over the French team of Francois Cottance and Stephan Cohen at Robinsons Place Mall in Manila.

Ralf Souquet and Oliver Ortmann would have started as overwhelming favourites against France following highly impressive wins over Hong Kong and Russia but pool isn’t always like that as they struggled throughout as the dogged Frenchmen stayed with them.

In the end though they had a little bit too much going for them and they can now look forward to a semi-final match up against China tomorrow (Sunday). The Chinese looked superb in dismantling Indonesia and the Germans will have to pick up the pace if they are to succeed.

“It was a tough one. We win as a team and lose as a team. It’s doubles and I can’t win by myself and Oliver can’t win by himself – It’s a race to nine winner break but it felt like alternate break,” said Souquet.

“France were not the favourites against England but still won. I didn’t watch the match, just the last couple of racks but I heard from a lot of spectators that France v England was a really bad one but they still beat England who had two of the reigning World Team champions.

“It’s not as easy as it seems for outside spectators, once you’re in the arena and feel the heat. The French team might be a little under-estimated but Stephan Cohen won a 14.1 world title and Francois Cottance is very well known on the Euro Tour and a regular there.”

Ortmann added, “That was my worst match. I didn’t play that good and made a couple of mistakes. I’m glad I had a strong partner like Ralf and that’s why we won.

“Part of being a team is getting confidence from the other player and that’s what helped this time. Ralf helped me a lot and that’s why we won. We knew France would play better than yesterday – they couldn’t play worse.

“We were the favourites but we know both players from the Euro Tour. Everyone expected us to win and it’s tough to be the favourites.”

Germany were always in the ascendancy and at 7-4 to the good, it looked to be a formality. However, Cohen and Cottance dug in, chipping away and at 7-8 down and breaking they looked to have a chance.

They didn’t take it though and when Cohen missed the pink 4 into the centre pocket, it was game, set and match Germany.

Earlier, the Chinese duo of Fu Jianbo and Li Hewen looked the business in dismantling Ricky Yang and Mohammad Zulfikri of Indonesia and the 2007 champions will be hard to beat.

Both players have strong all round games plus plenty of bottle and both are capable of pulling out stunning shots when needed. Their biggest strength though is their ability to convert racks from the smallest of opportunities and the telepathic nature of their play.

Zulfikri and Yang are both quality players but they were on the rack from the off as the Chinese put them under severe pressure.

China went into a 3-0 lead and the writing was on the wall but Indonesia fought hard and won the next three to level the match. That was to be their last significant contribution to the contest as China came with all sorts of shots to win the next six games and seal victory.

“That was a great win for us and we are feeling good about our game,” said Fu.

With 32 teams representing 31 countries – home nation Philippines has two sides in the competition – the World Cup of Pool sees the gathering of some of the most decorated stars of the pool firmament. The event is taking place at Robinsons Place, in Ermita, Manila.

With a total purse of $250,000, the winning pair split $60,000 between them while first round losers are guaranteed $1,500 each. All the action will be carried live on Solar Sports in

The Philippines and other broadcasters across the region.

Quarter Final Scores

China 9-3 Indonesia

Germany 9-7 France

Philippines B v Finland

Taiwan v Poland

Second Round Scores

Taiwan 8-2 Japan

Indonesia 8-6 Philippines A

Germany 8 -1 Russia

France 8-6 England

China 8-5 Italy

Finland 8-1 Holland

Poland 8-7 USA

Philippines B 8-4 Spain

First Round Scores

Russia 8–4 Canada

Indonesia 8-7 India

China 8–2 Belgium

Italy 8-6 Korea

Germany 8–4 Hong Kong

Philippines A 8-3 Thailand

England 8–7 Qatar

France 8-5 Australia

Japan 8–7 Slovenia

Poland 8-6 Malta

Taiwan 8–2 Malaysia

Philippines B 8-4 Croatia

Holland 8–3 Austria

Finland 8-2 Singapore

USA 8-7 Sweden

Spain 8-5 Vietnam

—————————-

11th September

Orcollo, Gomez Keeps Home Dreams Alive

Taiwan Looming in Sunday Semi Showdown

Taiwan 9-5 Poland

Philippines B 9-1 Finland

TWO OF the heavyweights of world pool will contest the second semi-final of the PartyPoker.net World Cup of Pool as Taiwan and the Philippines both recorded last eight wins at Robinsons Place Mall, Manila on Saturday evening.

Taiwan, represented by Chang Jung-lin and Ko Pin-yi, held off brave Poland for a deserved victory while Dennis Orcollo and Roberto Gomez set the 2,000 plus crowd on fire with a 9-1 win over Mika Immonen and Markus Juva of Finland.

With assembled experts divided on who would win, it was the home nation’s remaining representatives who got off to a blistering start. Juva’s foul on a jump shot in the opener set the tone as the Philippines completed the run out with cue ball in hand.

Playing superbly, Gomez and Orcollo broke and ran the next two and made it 4-0 when Immonen’s attempt on a 2/4 combo failed. They broke and ran out the next three, making the game look easy.

Finland, going cold sitting in their chairs, had the occasional visit but not to anything of any value to them. They had a chance to take the eighth game but Immonen missed a horrible 8 ball.

The Finns finally got a rack to make the score 8-1 but another miss from Mika, sealed the deal for a 9-1 Philippines win, much to the delight of the crowd at the mall and many more watching around the country on Solar Sports.

“We played a great game and it was our best performance but maybe we can play better tomorrow,” said Gomez after the match.

“We were trying to look for the break and I think we found it as we made it every time. The break is something we only practise two or three hours before the game here so we’re ready for anything. It’s really important to practise on the same table and on the same cloth.

“We have Taiwan tomorrow but for us we do not see who the opponent is. If we play the same as this then we can beat anybody and everybody but Taiwan are a really tough team.”

Orcollo added, “We made our break good and there was always a shot on so that’s why the confidence was there. With the audience there’s a lot of confidence there as they are always very supportive of the Philippines and that’s why we played really nice tonight.”

Earlier in the evening, Taiwan looked all business as they disposed of the plucky Polish pair of Radoslaw Babica and Mariusz Skoneczny by 9-5. Trailing 3-0 and then 5-2, the Poles got back to 5-4 at one point but the quality of the Taiwanese play was too much in the end.

They now face the Philippines in what promises to be a humdinger of a match on Sunday afternoon.

With 32 teams representing 31 countries – home nation Philippines has two sides in the competition – the World Cup of Pool sees the gathering of some of the most decorated stars of the pool firmament. The event is taking place at Robinsons Place, in Ermita, Manila.

With a total purse of $250,000, the winning pair split $60,000 between them while first round losers are guaranteed $1,500 each. All the action will be carried live on Solar Sports in

The Philippines and other broadcasters across the region.

Semi Finals 1pm Sunday

China v Germany

Philippines B v Taiwan

Quarter Final Scores

China 9-3 Indonesia

Germany 9-7 France

Philippines B 9-1 Finland

Taiwan 9-5 Poland

Second Round Scores

Taiwan 8-2 Japan

Indonesia 8-6 Philippines A

Germany 8 -1 Russia

France 8-6 England

China 8-5 Italy

Finland 8-1 Holland

Poland 8-7 USA

Philippines B 8-4 Spain

First Round Scores

Russia 8–4 Canada

Indonesia 8-7 India

China 8–2 Belgium

Italy 8-6 Korea

Germany 8–4 Hong Kong

Philippines A 8-3 Thailand

England 8–7 Qatar

France 8-5 Australia

Japan 8–7 Slovenia

Poland 8-6 Malta

Taiwan 8–2 Malaysia

Philippines B 8-4 Croatia

Holland 8–3 Austria

Finland 8-2 Singapore

USA 8-7 Sweden

Spain 8-5 Vietnam

—————————

12th September

It’s Philippines v China for the World Cup

China Edge Germany as Pinoys KO Taiwan in Thriller

China 9-7 Germany

Philippines B 9-8 Taiwan

The 2010 PartyPoker.net World Cup of Pool final will be contested by China and Philippines B after a couple of epic semi-finals at the Robinson Place Mall in Manila.

Earlier China (Fu Jianbo and Li Hewen) had beaten Germany in an exciting encounter before Dennis Orcollo and Roberto Gomez blew the roof off the venue with a marvellous 9-8 win over the dangerous Taiwan.

The Taiwanese pair of Chang Jung-lin and Ko Pin-yi looked very relaxed throughout the match as the hyped-up up Filipino pair fought to stay with them. It was always close and at 8 all, Ko broke in the last and downed three balls. The lowest numbered ball, the blue 2 was available but Chang, taking an eternity, missed the tough pot.

The crowd went wild and Orcollo started jumping up and down like a madman out of control. They managed to compose themselves and with the massive crowd willing down every shot, they cleared the table to book a place in the final.

“I have never been that nervous in my life and my whole body was shaking’” said Orcollo, who will now need to calm himself down for this evening’s final.

“I said to Gomez to just hit the back of the ball. He hit the back of the ball and it worked. Now we’re in the final. I was so nervous I nearly passed out.”

Earlier, China made it through to their second PartyPoker.net World Cup of Pool final as they edged past Germany in a thrilling match in downtown Manila.

9-7 was the scoreline for Fu Jianbo and Li Hewen but full credit must to Ralf Souquet and Oliver Ortmann who looked to be on the receiving end of a thumping but fought their way back into the match and had chances to win.

After winning the opening rack, the Germans got the worse of the exchanges and the Chinese pair established a 6-1 lead in the race to nine encounter. A dry break from China in the eighth rack gave Germany a chance and they stopped the rot as Souquet downed the 9 ball.

At this stage, the Chinese must have felt fairly confident but within half an hour the Germans were all square and in the ascendancy. Li Hewen missed the 4 ball in the next and Germany took the lead for the first time since the opener.

Souquet and Ortmann had played outstanding stuff to get back in the game and they nearly made a golden break in the next to reach the hill.

The 9 ball hung over the pocket with the 2 ball nearby but Souquet missed a very tough pot on the 1 ball. China did the necessary to get to 7-7 and then ran out the next to reach the hill.

The winning run out nearly broke down but Fu Jianbo, who must be one of the greatest shot-makers in the game, potted an outstanding 8 ball down the rail to seal it.

Germany, while clearly disappointed having fought so hard, were edged out by the better team on the day and can console themselves with $8,000 each.

With 32 teams representing 31 countries – home nation Philippines has two sides in the competition – the World Cup of Pool sees the gathering of some of the most decorated stars of the pool firmament. The event is taking place at Robinsons Place, in Ermita, Manila.

With a total purse of $250,000, the winning pair split $60,000 between them while first round losers are guaranteed $1,500 each. All the action will be carried live on Solar Sports in

The Philippines and other broadcasters across the region.

Semi Finals 1pm Sunday

China 9-7 Germany

Philippines B v Taiwan

Quarter Final Scores

China 9-3 Indonesia

Germany 9-7 France

Philippines B 9-1 Finland

Taiwan 9-5 Poland

Second Round Scores

Taiwan 8-2 Japan

Indonesia 8-6 Philippines A

Germany 8 -1 Russia

France 8-6 England

China 8-5 Italy

Finland 8-1 Holland

Poland 8-7 USA

Philippines B 8-4 Spain

First Round Scores

Russia 8–4 Canada

Indonesia 8-7 India

China 8–2 Belgium

Italy 8-6 Korea

Germany 8–4 Hong Kong

Philippines A 8-3 Thailand

England 8–7 Qatar

France 8-5 Australia

Japan 8–7 Slovenia

Poland 8-6 Malta

Taiwan 8–2 Malaysia

Philippines B 8-4 Croatia

Holland 8–3 Austria

Finland 8-2 Singapore

USA 8-7 Sweden

Spain 8-5 Vietnam

——————————-

12th September

China Wins World Cup of Pool

Second Title in Four Years for Li and Fu

China 10-5 Philippines

(Photo: Fu Jianbo and Li Hewen)

CHINA, represented by Fu Jianbo and Li Hewen, won their second PartyPoker.net World Cup of Pool crown as they dismantled the Philippines by a 10-5 scoreline and silenced a huge home crowd at the Robinsons Place Mall in Manila.

It was the second time that the deadly Chinese duo have now lifted this prestigious crown – they beat Finland in a hill-hill thriller in Rotterdam in 2007 – and they never let up from the opening rack as the home team felt the pressure and never really got going.

Over the week of the tournament, the sheer quality of their play throughout shone through and in Fu Jianbo they have one of the most exciting players in the world. Li Hewen though is as reliable as any player and to win the World Cup twice in four years cements their world class credentials.

“We are very happy with the victory but we just got the luck we needed from the Philippines team,” said a reflective Fu Jianbo.

“They made a few mistakes and we took advantage of that. The Philippines team literally gave us the match because they made a lot more mistakes than we did. It was very pressured though, because it was a big pro-Filipino crowd.

“It was like the home court advantage so to win here, we’ve got to be very, very happy winning the tournament,” he added.

For the Philippines side of Dennis Orcollo and Roberto Gomez, it was an anticlimax after their heroic 9-8 defeat of Taiwan in the semis and maybe they were mentally drained by their efforts.

Either way, China took the opening rack to settle their nerves but the Philippines levelled it when their opponents made a mess of the 8 and 9 balls. Every Filipino pot and Chinese miss was greeted with deafening cheers.

It’s hard to under-estimate the pressure the players were under and it showed in a shocking third rack as the four struggled to pot a ball between them as the crowd started to get agitated.

Every single player missed shots they would normally have made. Gomez’s mistake, when he missed the 9-ball into the side pocket, was the most crucial though and Fu Jianbo downed the 9-ball for a 2-1 lead.

The next rack isn’t much better and it went to China to increase their lead and they took the next to go to 4-1 which silenced the huge home crowd.

Orcollo made a huge error in the next when his attempt to snooker the Chinese fell woefully short. Fu Jianbo, normally the most reliable of potters, missed an easy 9 ball but Gomez could only play a less than watertight safety and Li Hewen played a magnificent cut shot to give his side a 5-1 lead.

The Philippines desperately needed a break to stop the runaway train and they got it when Li, scratched pushing out. They tried for the three foul rule but Fu went off three rails for the great escape. Gomez left a poor snooker which Li potted with a kick shot and it was soon 6-1.

It soon became 7-1 as the dynamic Chinese pair ran out from the break. The Philippines finally got a shot at the 1 ball in the ninth as Li hashed up a 1/4 combo. Orcollo though, missed a tough long cut on the 5 ball and China took another rack. China reached the hill as a weak shot from Orcollo left an open table.

Philippines finally won another rack to reduce arrears to 9-2 and they then broke and ran the next two to get the crowd going. It was all too much of a mountain and although they got to five racks, it was the mighty Fu Jianbo who rolled home the final 9 ball of the tournament for Chinese glory.

As well as the title, magnificent trophy and gold medals, the duo also took the US $60,000 top prize.

“It was a great performance from us and playing with Fu gives us so much confidence,” said Li Hewen.

“To win the World Cup again is an incredible experience and fantastic for Chinese pool and we can’t wait to come back next year and try to defend our title,” he added.

With 32 teams representing 31 countries – home nation Philippines has two sides in the competition – the World Cup of Pool sees the gathering of some of the most decorated stars of the pool firmament. The event is taking place at Robinsons Place, in Ermita, Manila.

With a total purse of $250,000, the winning pair split $60,000 between them while first round losers are guaranteed $1,500 each. All the action will be carried live on Solar Sports in

KNOCK OUT ACTION continued at the Riviera Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas as the last 32 players in the PartyPoker.net World Pool Masters became just 16 as the event prepared to move to the single table TV setting.

With players eliminated in the first two days of competition reading like a who’s who of pool, there are still a host of big names left in the event, a testimony to the immense strength of the field.

Defending champion Darren Appleton saw his hopes of a repeat win dashed as Germany’s seasoned veteran Oliver Ortmann overturned large deficits coming from 7-4 down to take their match 9-7 and set up a last 16 clash with countryman Thorsten Hohmann, who had earlier beaten remaining Dutch hope Niels Feijen.

“I played pretty well and got a bit lucky. I broke very well though and I’m pleased to progress,” said Ortmann.

Young Scotsman Jayson Shaw, a 21 year-old from Glasgow, continued his giant killing act as he dumped Dennis Hatch out of the competition to set up a last 16 clash with Roberto Gomez who had earlier beaten Huidji See of Holland.

“Reaching the last 16 is probably my greatest achievement in pool. I’ve played in the IPT but this had topped it,” said Shaw.

“I’ve been playing pretty good and won a few things at 9-ball so I thought if I get my chances I can take them. I’m just as good as anybody when I get among the balls.

“A lot of people didn’t know me but I’ve beaten Lee Van Corteza and Dennis Hatch, the MVP at the Mosconi Cup so I’m just over the moon.”

Winning his second consecutive hill-hill match, Floridian John Schmidt, the 2006 US Open Champion moves onto the last 16 where he playsJohn Morra. After Lee Van Corteza yesterday it was Jason Klatt of Canada who fell at the final hurdle.

“It was very tough. I lost my break the entire set apart from the last game. Jason was hooking me and running out so he played great. I haven’t figured out the break at all.

“This is one of the toughest tournaments I’ve ever been in and I’ve seen eight world champions not even get into the money stage.

“The way I’m breaking I don’t like my chances and maybe that will change but I will have to go with the cut break,” said Schmidt.

The first match to be played in the last 16 this evening features 2005 champion Raj Hundal against the Philippines highly dangerous Dennis Orcollo. Hundal defeated Ernesto Dominguez while Orcollo put paid to Marcus Chamat’s hopes.

“It’s tough for everyone and you saw that in the qualifiers where you had Mika v Ralf and that’s normally a semi-final,” said Hundal.

“You have great players everywhere and there’s not a soft draw. Even the lady players are capable of beating everyone so for me this is the tougher than a World Championship.

“A lot of great players went out 2-0 so to get into the last 16 is an achievement. I’ve playing better than ever, am focused and coming in off a good win in Sweden so I know what heart it takes.”

Still reigning World 9 Ball Champion Daryl Peach came through after beating countryman and World 8 Ball winner Karl Boyes by 9-4. Both players hail from Blackpool, England it Peach now faces Japanese qualifier Toru Kuribayashi.

“It was a big match for both of us and it was a mega tough field and a tough draw with a fellow Englishman,” said Peach.

“So there was a bit of added pressure and you try to block it out but sometimes you can’t. I can definitely win and at the end of the day I’ve won the World Championship. I’ve also won two out of four on the Euro Tour and won two out of two GB9 events.

“I’ve beaten Efren Reyes 9-6 to qualify for the last 32 and now the wheels are starting to turn,” added an ominous sounding Peach.

Rodney Morris looks to be finding a gear as he defeated England’s solid Mark Gray but he will have his work cut out in the last 16 as he faces two-time Masters Champion Thomas Engert who eliminated Johnny Archer from the competition.

“It was a horrible match! Normally if I had these chances I would’ve lead 5-0 but it was only 3-2. I missed so many chances but then I played a bit better but I was struggling but that’s what you have to do to get into the tournament.

“I’m happy to be there in the last 16 and it was a good result but it should’ve been more. I practise a lot at home but in the last year I haven’t played many tournaments.

“I have to play more matches and tournaments but I’m fighting hard.”

Last 32 – Results

Raj Hundal (IND) 9-6 Ernesto Dominguez (USA)

Marcus Chamat (SWE) 7-9 Dennis Orcollo (PHI)

Rafael Martinez (MEX) 7-9 John Morra (CAN)

John Schmidt (USA) 9-8 Jason Klatt (CAN)

Stevie Moore (USA) 8-9 Ricky Yang (INA)

Do Hoang Quan (VIE) 7-9 Ralf Souquet (GER)

Dennis Hatch (USA) 5-9 Jayson Shaw (SCO)

Roberto Gomez (PHI) 9-4 Huidji See (NED)

Naoyuki Oi (JAP) 9-5 Evgeni Novosad (UKR)

Lo Li-Wen (TPE) 8-9 Charlie Williams (USA)

Karl Boyes (ENG) 4-9 Daryl Peach (ENG)

Kuo Po Cheng (TPE) 3-9 Toru Kuribayashi (JAP)

Rodney Morris (USA) 9-7 Mark Gray (ENG)

Thomas Engert (GER) 9-6 Johnny Archer (USA)

Darren Appleton (ENG) 7-9 Oliver Ortmann (GER)

Thorsten Hohmann (GER) 9-5 Niels Feijen (NED)

Friday Night Last 16 Matches

Raj Hundal (IND) v Dennis Orcollo (PHI)

John Morra (CAN) v John Schmidt (USA)

Ricky Yang (INA) v Ralf Souquet (GER)

After 17 years as a 16-player invitational competition, the Masters, one of the longest established tournaments in pool, is now a 64 player event and takes place over five days instead of three.

Working in conjunction with Cuesports International, the Masters takes place during the annual BCA National 8-Ball Championships, which sees thousands of players and fans flock to the Riviera for a lengthy festival of pool.

Television is produced by Matchroom Sport and will be seen as 15 x one hour programmes in 14 countries around the world with more to be added to the list.

The prize fund is set at a guaranteed $100,000 with $20,000 going to the eventual champion.

Notes: Matchroom Sport are one of the world’s leading producers of televised sport and are responsible for over 1,100 hours of original programming across a range of nine sports. Based in the UK and chaired by charismatic founder Barry Hearn, the World Pool Masters is one of a stable of pool events that include the World Cup of Pool and the Mosconi Cup.

The 2010 World Pool Masters is sponsored by PartyPoker.net. Tables are supplied by Brunswick Billiards, cloth by Iwan Simonis, Super Aramith balls by Saluc and the Official Cue is Predator.

Masters Down to Last 32

Super Strong Field is Survival of the Fittest

Rodney Morris

THE FIELD of the 2010 PartyPoker.net World Pool Masters has halved after two days of play as 32 have left the competition and the remaining 32 reconvene at midday Friday to scrap it out as the event moves to single elimination.

Described by witnesses as arguably the strongest 64 player line-up assembled in recent times, the Masters has proved a brutal school with world-class match-ups coming thick and fast. The opening round saw 64 players divided into eight groups of eight players playing in double elimination.

All matches in the Masters in the opening round were race to nine, winner breaks, with the action taking at the Convention Centre at the Riviera Hotel and Casino on the Las Vegas Strip.

The ‘two and through’ players in Group 6 were defending champion Darren Appleton who beat the Asian pair of Yu Ram Cha and then Ricky Yang to progress, and then Marcus Chamat. The diminutive Swede beat qualifier Manny Chau and then claimed a superb 9-8 win over Dennis Orcollo, which included a miscue on the final 8 which left a severely testing 9 ball.

Both Orcollo and Yang also made the last 32 via the one loss side

In Group 6, two American players went through via the winners’ side as US Open champions John Schmidt and Rodney Morris put on excellent displays. ‘Mr 400’ beat Belgian qualifier Noel Bruynooghe and survived a hill-hill thriller against Lee Van Corteza of the Philippines.

Morris beat Scottish youngster Jayson Shaw and then beat compatriot Johnny Archer to seal his own fete but both Shaw and Archer went through on the one-loss side, with the Scot recording a particularly impressive win to knock out Corteza.

Stevie Moore

A focused Stevie Moore was the first player to make progress in Group 7 as he beat the UK based pair of Imran Majid and then Tony Drago. Moore was joined by Thomas Engert who got the better of Charlie Williams in another hill-hill match.

Williams though stepped up a gear in the final match on the one loss side as he put Majid out of the competition, 9-3. Joining him will be stylish Japanese qualifier Toru Kuribayashi who put paid to former Masters champ Tony Drago’s Vegas dream.

Finally in a strong Group 8, recently crowned World 8 Ball king Karl Boyes beat Ernesto Dominguez and Ralf Souquet to advance and was joined by unknown Taiwanese Lo Li-wen who beat Mika Immonen and then Karen Corr.

Souquet made up for his defeat to Boyes by recording only the second 9-0 of the competition as he ran six racks on tough Brunswick equipment to put Mika Immonen out of the competition. Veteran Ernesto Dominguez made up for family disappointment yesterday as he beat Karen Corr 9-3 to take the final spot.

The last 32 matches are single elimination race to 9 and matches start at 12 noon tomorrow.

After 17 years as a 16-player invitational competition, the Masters, one of the longest established tournaments in pool, is now a 64 player event and takes place over five days instead of three.

Working in conjunction with Cuesports International, the Masters takes place during the annual BCA National 8-Ball Championships, which sees thousands of players and fans flock to the Riviera for a lengthy festival of pool.

Television is produced by Matchroom Sport and will be seen as 15 x one hour programmes in 14 countries around the world with more to be added to the list.

The prize fund is set at a guaranteed $100,000 with $20,000 going to the eventual champion.

Notes: Matchroom Sport are one of the world’s leading producers of televised sport and are responsible for over 1,100 hours of original programming across a range of nine sports. Based in the UK and chaired by charismatic founder Barry Hearn, the World Pool Masters is one of a stable of pool events that include the World Cup of Pool and the Mosconi Cup.

The 2010 World Pool Masters is sponsored by PartyPoker.net. Tables are supplied by Brunswick Billiards, cloth by Iwan Simonis, Super Aramith balls by Saluc and the Official Cue is Predator.

Masters Underway in Vegas

Big Names Tumble on Day of Shocks

(photo: Thorsten Hohmann)

PLAY HAS concluded on the first day of the 2010 PartyPoker.net World Pool Masters as 16 players have made their way through to Friday’s round of 32 and a further 16 have been eliminated from the completion.

Separated into eight groups of eight players competing in double elimination competition, four groups competed today and top of the seeding for the straight knock out stages of the event.

There were plenty of big name casualties who fell by the wayside on a day when the strength in depth of field shone through. Those who fell at the first hurdle included Efren Reyes, Francisco Bustamante, Shane Van Boening, Corey Deuel, Oscar Dominguez and Earl Strickland.

Straight out of the traps in Group 1 were 2005 Masters champion Raj Hundal and Mexico’s Rafael Martinez, who took the final qualifying spot at Pool Sharks yesterday. The wily old campaigner took out American qualifier David Grau and Evgeni Novosad (Ukriane) to reach the money stages.

Hundal made light work of Korea’s Ga Young Kim and then Jason Klatt to book his spot. The one-loss side of this group saw the young Novosad win through in what was a great day for Ukrainian pool, and the final spot went to Canadian qualifier Jason Klatt who bumped Shane Van Boening out of the competition by a 9-5 scoreline on the one-loss side.

All matches in the Masters are race to nine, winner breaks, with the action taking at the Convention Centre at the Riviera Hotel and Casino on the Las Vegas Strip.

In Group 2 it was the Philippines’ powerful Roberto Gomez who beat Earl Strickland and Huijdi See to go through. Dutch qualifier See, though, redeemed the situation with a win over Allison Fisher, which together with an earlier 9-8 victory over Niels Feijen, saw him through. Feijen recovered though, as he beat Ko Pin-yi to win through to Friday.

The other winners’ side victor was 2005 World Pool Championship runner-up Kuo Po-cheng who secured his spot with wins over Oscar Dominguez and countryman Ko Pin-yi

Thorsten Hohmann and Dennis Hatch were the two who went undefeated through Group 3 and they now take their place in Friday’s last 32. Hohmann was in fact, the first player to make it as he posted wins over Radoslaw Babica and Efren Reyes to progress.

Hatch held wins over Norwegian qualifier Tron Engebaak and Morra to secure his spot. On the losers’ side Canada’s Morra won through at the expense of Radoslaw Babica, while 2007 World Champion Daryl Peach sent Efren Reyes crashing out of the competition.

Finally in Group 4, two lesser known Asian players shone through as NaoyukiOi (Japan) and Vietnam’s unknown Do Hong Quan won two from two to qualify. Quan, who won through a qualifying event in Malaysia a few weeks ago, beat Francisco Bustamante and Tyler Edey to make it probably the best day of his pool playing career.

Oi, who is one of the game’s more colourful characters, took down England’s Mark Gray and Oliver Ortmann of Germany to advance. The German, however, recovered to knock Bustamante out of the event to progress. Gray too regrouped as he got the better of Tyler Edey in a do-or-die encounter.

Play continues tomorrow (Thursday) with Groups 5 to 8 playing their matches. After that the Masters moves to single elimination with the round of 32 taking place on Friday 14th and then the event goes to the TV stages on Friday evening and the weekend.

After 17 years as a 16-player invitational competition, the Masters, one of the longest established tournaments in pool, will now feature 64 players and take place over five days instead of three.

Working in conjunction with Cuesports International, the Masters takes place during the annual BCA National 8-Ball Championships, which sees thousands of players and fans flock to the Riviera for a lengthy festival of pool.

Notes: Matchroom Sport are one of the world’s leading producers of televised sport and are responsible for over 1,100 hours of original programming across a range of nine sports. Based in the UK and chaired by charismatic founder Barry Hearn, the World Pool Masters is one of a stable of pool events that include the World Cup of Pool and the Mosconi Cup.

The 2010 World Pool Masters is sponsored by PartyPoker.net. Tables are supplied by Brunswick Billiards, cloth by Iwan Simonis, Super Aramith balls by Saluc and the Official Cue is Predator.